The Stranger

Albert Camus

Aug 2012 · Sold by Vintage

About this ebook

With the intrigue of a psychological thriller, The Stranger—Camus's masterpiece—gives us the story of an ordinary man unwittingly drawn into a senseless murder on an Algerian beach. With an Introduction by Peter Dunwoodie; translated by Matthew Ward.

Behind the subterfuge, Camus explores what he termed "the nakedness of man faced with the absurd" and describes the condition of reckless alienation and spiritual exhaustion that characterized so much of twentieth-century life. 

“The Stranger is a strikingly modern text and Matthew Ward’s translation will enable readers to appreciate why Camus’s stoical anti-hero and ­devious narrator remains one of the key expressions of a postwar Western malaise, and one of the cleverest exponents of a literature of ambiguity.” —from the Introduction by Peter Dunwoodie

First published in 1946; now in translation by Matthew Ward.

Ratings and reviews

a quick read. very visual and easy to follow and understand. you feel bad for the main character and at times wish you could leap in and lend him the little helping hand he would need to correct his errant path

This is one amazing piece of work. Most of Camus's works can be difficult to follow. This is simply written which must have been very difficult for Camus. This makes it easier for almost anyone to fully recognize and understand what's happening and being subtly implied. One of the best books I've ever read and one hell of an ending, particularly the last line. This book will NOT disappoint.

Maybe this would be a thought provoking read for someone who isn't familiar with the concept of existentialism but for someone who is, I felt this book to be lacking. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't good either. I personally wouldn't recommend reading it.

About the author

Born in Algeria in 1913, Albert Camus published The Stranger–now one of the most widely read novels of this century–in 1942. Celebrated in intellectual circles, Camus was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957. On January 4, 1960, he was killed in a car accident.